GMB welcomes agreement to implement Scottish local government pay deal

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

GMB Scotland Press Release

For immediate distribution: Wednesday 14 June 2017

GMB welcomes agreement to implement Scottish local government pay deal

GMB Scotland has today (Wednesday 14 June) welcomed an agreement between trade unions and council body COSLA over the award of the 2017/18 pay deal for Scottish local government.

Council staff on pay grades of up to £35,000 a year will receive a flat rate increase of £350 and the Scottish Local Government Living Wage of £8.51 will be used as the minimum level for all council pay and allowances.

It is expected that the full and backdated offer will be awarded in the pay packets of local government workers in August, following the elections of the COSLA leadership posts later this month.

The agreement ends months of delay over the award, which was accepted by 69 per cent of GMB members after a consultative ballot in April, and avoids the imposition of a 1 per cent increase across all local government pay grades.

GMB Scotland Senior Organiser Tony Dowling said: “GMB has previously called for no further delay on the implementation of the pay offer so this morning’s agreement is welcome news for the lowest paid in Scottish local government.

This deal negotiated by the joint trade unions is not perfect but it will help ease some of the pressure on staff in roles like home carers, school cleaners and caterers who have struggled at the coalface of the austerity agenda for the last decade.

We are now looking to the future but the reality is that we don’t have our challenges to seek. Now, more than ever, we need an honest debate about the future of local government funding, pay, jobs and services.

That’s why we are calling for an urgent start to the agreed joint working group involving trade unions and COSLA, so we can develop a common strategy on tackling low pay and austerity across our councils which can be conveyed to the Scottish Government.”